Five Donegal organisations have been announced as county winners in the National Lottery Good Causes Awards 2019.
The Earagail Arts Festival, Liquid Therapy in Bundoran, Anam Cara Donegal, Donegal G.A.P Heritage and History Group, Cairde Le Cheile have been selected as the five winners of the national award from the county.
The awards were created to honour and showcase the inspiring work being carried out by thousands of projects, clubs and individuals in their local communities across Ireland thanks to National Lottery Good Causes funding.
Nearly 30 cents of every euro spent on National Lottery games goes back to Good Causes all over the country.
Announcing the winners of the county phase of the awards today, National Lottery CEO, Dermot Griffin, said: “We were bowled over by the number and calibre of entries we received for these awards and it is proof that organisations supported by National Lottery funding are having a huge impact in their local communities. Recognising and celebrating this impact is what the National Lottery Good Causes Awards is all about.”
The awards, which culminates in a televised Gala Awards Dinner in Dublin on Saturday, 2nd November, has six main categories: Sport, Health & Wellbeing, Heritage, Arts & Culture, Community and Youth. A seventh category, Irish Language, will have a special award to be announced on the night at the Awards final, in recognition of outstanding work done in the promotion of the Irish Language.
Speaking on selecting the winners, Broadcaster, publisher and businesswoman, Norah Casey, who is Chair of the competition’s judging panel, said: “It is a privilege to be involved in these awards and to learn first-hand of the impact of Good Causes in every parish, village and town in Ireland. They truly are ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
“With more than 480 entries, selecting the county winners has been a very tough job. I congratulate all of those who have come through the County phase of the competition and look forward to the Regional Finals later this month.”
These winners will now go forward to the six Regional finals, competing for a place in the National Finals in Dublin on Saturday 2nd November.
Each category winner will receive €10,000 and the overall Good Cause of the Year will receive an additional €25,000.
The full list of County Winners can be found at www.lottery.ie/
The Donegal winners are:
- Sport – Liquid Therapy: Liquid Therapy is a not for profit foundation that provides ocean, surf, and water therapy for young people with physical, emotional, behavioural or intellectual needs. Good Causes funding allowed it to provide surfboards and bodysuits for a growing number of members.
- Health & Wellbeing – Anam Cara: Anam Cara is an organisation founded in 2008 by bereaved parents to ensure all bereaved families have access to information and support. The Donegal branch provides a wide range of bereavement support services, peer support and understanding to parents who have experienced the death of a child
- Heritage – Donegal GAP Heritage & History Group: Donegal GAP History and Heritage Group are non-profit voluntary community group primarily based in the Glenties, Ardara and Portnoo (GAP) areas of South West, Donegal. They aim to research, develop, protect and promote the built heritage of GAP and the surrounding areas
- Arts & Culture – Earagail Arts Festival: The Earagail Arts Festival is an annual festival which takes place in County Donegal since 1988. The Festival includes parades, street performances and numerous plays, musical concerts and comedy acts in towns and villages across County Donegal.
- Community – Cairde Le Cheile: The Cairde le Cheile mantra is ‘Friends Together Supporting People with Disability’. Their aim is to provide sporting, social and employment opportunities for people with disability, as well as young people and senior citizens in County Donegal.
- Youth – Involve: Involve is a youth project with recognises the equality of the Traveller Community by providing programmes, initiatives and services that promote the participation and inclusion of the Traveller Community in Irish Society.
